Lamp holder



Dec. 24, 1940. F, W TON 2,226,292

LAMP HOLDER Filed March 23, 1959 Irwvefit or 2 Frederick H. Weston;

X His tcorney.

Patented Dec. 24, 1940 PATENT oFFicE LAMP HOLDER Frederick H. Weston,Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporationof New York Application March 23, 1939, Serial No. 263,755

i Claims.

My invention relates to lamp holders, and more particularly to a lampholder adapted for ceiling mounting.

An object of my invention is to provide a new and improved lamp holderso constructed as to protect the elements thereof from damage ordeterioration when the lamp holder is used in damp or wet locations.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. l is a view of the interior of the lampholder; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is aperspective view of a portion of the lamp holder, and Fig. 5 is a viewshowing the lamp holder mounted in operative position.v

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated my invention incorporatedin a lamp holder I0 having a body ll of insulating material, forexample, a molded plastic material. The body is of a substantiallyconical formation with the inner wall 12 sloping toward a central hub orboss l3. The inner end of the hub is located below the upper edge M ofthe body wall 1. id the outer end extends beyond the outer confines ofthe body wall to form a sleeve l5. While the contour of the body II hasbeen shown as circular, it should be manifest that the contour may be ofpolygonal or other non-circular formation. The hub is provided with arecess I6 for receiving lamp holder contacts comprising a screw shell I!and a center contact I8. An annular groove [5 formed in the outer wallof the sleeve provides for mounting a shade. The center contact iselectrically connected by a screw [9 to one end of a terminal member 20having a terminal screw 2|. The screw shell I! is connected by screws 22to the arms 23 of a second terminal member 24 having a terminal screw25. Both the terminal members 20 and 24 are disposed on the top of thehub 13 and the connecting screws 19' and 22 pass through the top of thehub to a point within the recess l6 where they engage the correspondinglamp holder contacts. In this manner the lamp holder contacts arefastened securely within the recess l6 and the terminal members areexposed on the top of the hub within the body member for easy connectionto electrical conductors. The terminal members 20 and 24 rest withinrecesses 26 and 21, respectively, formed in the top face of the hub; therecesses serve to insulate the terminal members from one another.

The body member I I is of relatively thin crosssection. In order toreinforce the body member a plurality of ribs 28 extend from the upperedge of the body member in a radial direction inwardly to the hubmember. In the form of the invention illustrated, six of the reinforcingribs are provided, but manifestly the number of ribs may By thisconstruction a considerable saving is effected in the amount of materialused in the body of the lamp holder.

In one use of the lamp holder for a ceiling light, it is fastened to anoutlet box B, as shown by Fig. 5. In this position the lamp holder issuspended from the outlet box to which it is secured by screws (notshown) passing through the openings 30 in the. body of the lamp holderand a lamp L may be threaded into the screw shell. when installed insuspended position in locations which are wet or damp, there is aconsiderable tendency for moisture to condense within the body II andrun down the inner sloping wall l2. Unless provision is made to drainofl. this condensate considerable corrosion of the terminal members, aswell as the terminal connections, will take place and, if the bodybecomes filled with water, the terminals will be short circuited.

In order to provide for drainage of the condensate the hub member isformed with a plurality of grooves 3| disposed on each side of theterminal members and which are provided with knockouts 32 communicatingwith the interior of the recess Hi. This means that the knockouts may beshattered by means of a screw driver, or other implement, permitting thecondensate to drain continuously through the opening in the groove tothe interior of the recess 16 where it will flow down through a space 33between the wall of the recess and the screw shell ll. Since thecondensate will adhere to and flow down the wall of the recess IE, itwill not come into contact with the screw shell nor tend to causecorrosion of this element. At the left hand side of Fig. 3, a knockout32 is shown in position prior to its removal whereas at the right handside of Fig. 3 the opening formed by removal of the knockout is shown.One of the grooves and knockouts is placed in the hub in communicationwith the sloping inner wall of the body member between each pair of thereinforcing ribs 28, with the exception of that portion of the huboccupied by the ends of the terminal members and the terminal screws. Atthese latter points the body wall is built up or thickened to form drainsurfaces or plates 34 which will guide the condensate over the adjacentrib 28 into the adjoining wall surface where it will pass through theknockout opening. The reinforcing ribs 28 divide the inner slopingsurface of the body into a plurality of distinct drainage surfaces.However, by the construction described, the condensate from eachdrainage surface is directed to a knockout opening. On those surfacesbetween the terminal members, such as in the showing of the upper andlower portions of Fig. 1, the condensate drains directly into theknockout openings while on the surfaces adjacent the terminal members,such as in the showing at the sides of Fig. 1, the condensate flows overthe drain plates 34 onto the adjoining sloping surface of the body andthence through the knockout opening.

In addition to providing a drainage surface for the condensate thethickened portions of the base form a reinforcing shoulder for the endsof the terminal members and the terminal screws. The ends of theterminal members extend beyond the confines of the hub toward thedrainage surface-z and rest on a projection 35 extending from the wallof the hub I3 and the ends of the terminal screws extend into openings36 formed in the projections 35. The thickened plate portion 34strengthens the lamp holder body at a point where considerable pressureis likely to be applied in tightening the terminal screws about aconductor.

In some-cases, such as when the lamp holder is installed in amoisture-free location, it is not necessary to break out the knockouts32. Since the knockouts are left in position the interior of the lampholder is completely insulated from the lamp holder contacts in therecess l6. advantageous over constructions in which permanent openingsare utilized in lieu of the knockouts because it is impossible for anyof the connecting wires to pass accidentally through such opening intoengagement with the lamp holder contacts thereby increasing the chancesof short circuits.

While I have illustrated and described my invention in the preferredform as utilizing knockouts in the grooves 3!, it should be manifestthat it might be desirable to omit the knockouts and provide a passagedirect from the grooves to the recess I6. In such a case, the slopingwalls of the body and the drainage plate 34 would function in the mannerdescribed to guide the condensate through the passage.

-What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In a lamp holder, a body having inner walls extending toward acentral hub portion, said hub portion being provided with a recesstherein extending outside said body, contact elements including a screwshell mounted in said recess, terminal members mounted on said hubinside said body and being electrically connected to said contactelements, and knockouts interconnecting the inside of said body and saidrecess'and being capable of removal to form a drain passage for moisturecollecting on the walls of said body,

This is said drain passage including a space between the screw shell andthe wall of the recess.

2. In a lamp holder, a body of insulating material having an inner wallsloping toward a central hub portion, said body being provided with aplurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from said hub portionand dividing said inner wall into a plurality of drainage areasseparated by said ribs, said hub portion having a recess tnerein andextending outside said body, contact elements mounted in said recess,rminal members mounted on said hub portion inside said body, portions ofsaid terminal members extending beyond the confines of said hub portioninto some of said drainage areas, knockouts in the wall of said hubbetween said recess and others of said drainage areas, removal of saidknockouts forming a drain passage to said recess for moisture collectingon said other drainage areas, the first-mentioned drainage areasoccupied by said terminal members being provided with thickened portionsadjacent said hub forming a drain plate to conduct moisture over theadjacent reinforcing ribs to the adjoining drainage areas for passagethrough said knockout openings.

3. In a lamp holder, a body of insulating material having an innersurface sloping toward a central hub portion, said body having aplurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from said central hubportion and dividing said inner walls into a plurality of drainageareas, said hub portion extending outside said body and being providedwith a recess therein, contact elements including a screw shell mountedin said recess, terminal members mounted on said hub portion within saidbody and being electrically connected to said contact elements, and anopening in the wall of said hub between said recess and each of saiddrainage areas to form a drain passage for moisture collecting on eachof said drainage areas, said drain passage including a space between thescrew shell and the wall of the recess.

4. In a lamp holder, a body of insulating material having an inner wallsloping toward a central hub portion, said body being provided with aplurality of reinforcing ribs extending radially from said hub portionand dividing said inner wall into a plurality of drainage areasseparated by said ribs, said hub portion having a recess thereinextending outside said body, contact elements mounted in said recess,terminal members mounted on said hub portion inside said body, portionsof said terminal members extending beyond the confines of said hubportion into some of said drainage areas, openings in the wall of saidhub between said recess and others of said drainage areas to form drainpassages to said recess for moisturecollecting on said other drainageareas, the first-mentioned drainage areas occupied by said terminalmembers being provided with thickened portions adjacent said hub forminga drain plate to conduct moisture over the adjacent reinforcing ribs tothe adjoining drainage areas for passage through said opening.

FREDERICK H. WESTON.

